


Father Christmas Came

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Category: Nimona (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 12:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12887838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: For their first Christmas back together, Ambrosius and Ballister know they need to find a present for each other. The only question is what?





	Father Christmas Came

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WritLarge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritLarge/gifts).



> Merry Christmas WritLarge! I hope you'll like this short story!

Ambrosius didn't need his crutch anymore, but even six months later, he still couldn't walk quickly, not that he was in a hurry. He was window-shopping in the market, his eyes falling hopefully on each stall as if the ideal gift would suddenly reveal itself to him. So far, he was still waiting.  
He tightened his scarf around his neck, feeling the hint of a scar as his fingers grazed his skin. They had healed well, mostly thanks to Ballister, but still, they felt foreign on his skin, him who had been so careful before.  
" _Maybe an apology card?_ " he thought to himself as he passed a stall selling Christmas cards.  
He shook his head. Nothing said Christmas like apologizing once again for everything he'd done!  
He continued on his way, thinking once again what would make a good gift for Ballister:  
" _Something_ sciency _? Yeah but what? I don't know anything about science... Maybe anchovies? But doesn't he only like the modified one he makes? A new polishing oil for his arms? Way to go, Ambrosius, rubbing salt in the wound again!_ "  
He sighed, stopping by yet another stall selling sweets for the holiday period.  
" _I haven't had to buy him anything for Christmas in... years... goddamnit!_ "  
As he continued to think deeply, passing most of the stands without even glancing at them, he came to the conclusion that nothing would be good enough for their first Christmas back together and resolved himself to the most cliché gift his mind could conjure in the moment, a pair of socks. He turned around, still deep in thoughts, sure he'd passed a stall selling Christmas socks before, and bumped into someone. He quickly looked down, his long hair falling in front of his eyes. He swept them away and noticed the kid seating on the ground in front of him. He'd probably knocked into him. He kneeled down, ignoring the pain in his knee, and held out a hand for the kid to take.  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."  
The kid shook his head and smiled, more stunned by the fact that he was currently meeting the famous Ambrosius Goldenloin, than by the fact that he was still seating in the dirt. He took the knight's hand and together they stood up. A smile spread on the kid's smile.  
"Wow! You're the real sir Goldenloin?"  
Ambrosius smirked heroically. He placed his hands on his hips, taking the most heroic pose he could conjure.  
"Of course I am!"  
"Wow... Can you sign my knight!"  
Ambrosius frowned, confused for a second before the boy showed him the toy in his hand. Ambrosius took it and looked at it longly. It was a perfect copy of him, before the incident and the fall of the Institution. Blond fake hair falling on his back, green cape flowing behind a gold armor, and a sword attached to his belt. It really was him, unmistakably so.  
"Wow, where did you get it?"  
"The toy shop over there!" The boy declared excitedly. "My dad gave it to me for my birthday! He said if I'm nice than Father Christmas might bring me sir Blackheart too!"  
Ambrosius smiled and looked at the boy who was still staring at him with eyes full of hope.  
"Well, you seem like a nice kid, I'm sure Father Christmas knows it too."  
He walked up to the closest stand and asked for a pen, which the merchant landed him quickly. He signed the chest-plate to the best of his ability and gave it back to the boy.  
"And here you go!" he declared as he gave the pen back to the merchant without even looking at him.  
"Yeah! Thank you so much, mister Goldenloin! Have a nice holiday!" the boy shouted as he ran away.  
"You too!" Ambrosius replied with a wave of the hand.  
Once the boy was out of his sight, he turned around and his eyes scanned the shops along the street until he found the toy shop he was looking for. He couldn't help but smile as he entered the shop. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

Ballister had been very busy, between working at Blitzmeyer Blackheart Lab and helping with the reconstruction effort, he'd had very little time to think about Christmas. It was only when Ambrosius had told him one evening he'd spent his day doing Christmas shopping that it had hit him. The next day, he was walking quickly from street to street and market to market, looking for the perfect gift. He could still remember the last Christmas gift he had given Ambrosius, a few months before the tournament. It had been a very expensive earing. Now Ballister knew he couldn't buy him yet another earing, no matter how expensive it was.  
He was running the possibilities in his mind as he sped through town with no particular direction in mind:  
" _A codpiece, in case he wants to wear armor again? Probably not. Wearing a codpiece was a mistake to begin with, let's not encourage that mistake to be repeated. Weapons? Or armor maybe? No, it's too late to order anything custom made...._ "  
Without even noticing, he'd wander away from the shopping district, and had reached one of the many parts of the city which still remained in ruin. He looked up when he felt a large piece of stone against his feet, almost making him trip. This used to be the rest of the shopping districts, but all of the shops had been rebuilt already somewhere else. Now they only needed the time to either destroy what remained or rebuild from it.  
A loud bang made Ballister bolt as he looked to his side. A cat had jumped inside one of the ruin, making the burned wooden sign above the door fall on the ground, and shatter in half on impact. Ballister walked up to it, glancing once at the cat who was already running away before he looked at the sign. Through the darkened wood and the melted paint, Ballister could only discern the vague drawing of a book at the center of the image. He sighed, and walked away, back to the shopping district. He was running out of time anyway, and with no better idea than a scarf, a book would have to do.

Christmas Eve had come and gone, Ambrosius feeling a bit more excited than he'd had in the past few years, mostly because the Institution organized very poor Christmas parties. He'd be the first to wake up, as usual, and was almost tempted to run to Ballister's room, just to remind him of the good old times. But instead, he'd gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The sun was already high up when he opened the shutters, explained by the fact that they had celebrated until late into the night. He stopped by the living room, only to find two perfectly well-wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. He smiled to himself. There was no way either of them could guess what was under the wrapper, and that idea was exciting him even more.  
"I was wondering whether you'll have the patience to wait." Ballister declared from the doorstep.  
Ambrosius smiled.  
"Well now that you are awake, I don't need to wait anymore, do I?"  
Ballister was obviously still very tired, as he rubbed his eyes with his good hand. Ambrosius picked up both packages, recognizing the one he'd bought from the wrapper, and handed it to Ballister with a kiss on his scruffy cheek.  
"Merry Christmas!"  
"Merry Christmas to you too."  
Ballister's priority was mostly to sit as he felt his body still heavy from sleep and ready to collapse on the closest soft furniture he could find. He let himself fall on the couch, Ambrosius seating beside him. Ballister rubbed his eyes once again, amusing the blond.  
"Perhaps a cup of coffee could help?"  
Ballister shook his head and motioned at his boyfriend with his hand.  
"After. Right now, open your gift, I know you're dying to open it, so come on."  
Ambrosius smiled, tearing the wrapper much like a kid. The paper fell to the floor while he inspected his gift. It was a large book with a black hardcover, its title written in golden letters on the front cover: 'Tales and Myths of Foreign Knights'. Ambrosius sighed happily.  
"Good choice. I haven't read this one yet."  
"I know, it's why I picked it. I hope you like it."  
"Thank you. Now open yours!" he declared, just as excited as before.  
"Alright, alright!"  
Ballister straightened, and carefully opened the wrapper, without tearing it. He slid the box out of the paper once one side was untaped, and stared, dumbfounded, at his gift. It was a knight action figure, much like the one he'd had a child, the one he'd given to Ambrosius so many years ago for Christmas when they were still in the orphanage. But this one was different. It was him. His mechanical arm, his dark clothes, and well-trimmed beard. Speechless, he looked back at Ambrosius who was grinning widely.  
"The toymaker said it was usually a tie. Most of the kids want both yours and mine, but I thought you'd like a little you to decorate your desk, you know?"  
Seeing as Ballister was still speechless, Ambrosius continued to nervously rumble:  
"I mean, if you don't like it we can bring it back! You can change it if you want another knight. I mean... I didn't want to buy you mine because it would have looked egocentric but..."  
Before he could continue his thought he felt Ballister tackling him back on the couch and kissing him soundly. At first surprised, he quickly regained his confidence and passed a hand through his boyfriend's hair, the other reaching for his cold metal one. The kiss didn't last, however, as they both had to breathe, but when they did separate they were both grinning like kids.  
"Well" Ambrosius began, still winded, "Had I known giving you toys would put you in such a state I would have bought you one a long time ago!"


End file.
